Power Coming Back On - Finally

Two miracles today - Bloomberg was forced to cancel the marathon and the lights came back on in a darkened part of NYC:

MANHATTAN — Let there be light!

Power was restored to the Lower East Side, East Village and Chelsea Friday afternoon after nearly four days in darkness following Hurricane Sandy.

Cheers erupted from Tompkins Square Park to the public housing buildings on Madison Street and buses tooted their horns after the lights popped back on on the East Side just before 5 p.m. Electricity returned to Chelsea just an hour later.

Peter Justice was about to cross Avenue A, near East 8th Street, when he suddenly saw the red "Don't Walk" sign flash up
.
"People on the corner started cheering, 'The lights are on! The lights are on!" said Justice, 38.
Another woman said: "Lights again, Thank you, Jesus."

The power filled the East Village and Lower East Side from Canal Street to 14th Street, from Broadway to the East River, according to Con Edison. Lights also went on in Chelsea from the Hudson River to Fifth Avenue, from 14th and 15th streets up to 30th and 31st streets.

That amounts to approximately 67,000 customers on the Lower East Side and East Village and 27,500 in Chelsea, officials said.

Still lots more areas need power in NYC - including Coney Island, the Rockaways and Staten Island.

In Jersey, JC needs light up in the Heights and Bergen-Lafayette.  

 

A few buildings downtown are still lacking power - I met some people today from Portside Towers over in Paulus Hook who were scavenging for candles and comfort at Target.

It's hard to believe that our Great Leaders would spend all this time and energy on a freaking race or a presidential endorsement when so many people remain without power.

But that's modern America, isn't it?